Okay, I'm joining Starletta8 for the summer

It's the beginning of a new month and time for me to seriously work on correcting some bad habits.

One of these has been accumulating all kinds of things; lately this has been a lot of purchases as Sephora -- eye shadow and perfume are my worst weaknesses.

I looked at all of the things that I have around the house, in more than one location, and it's absurd. I can't use it all up easily and I have eye palettes I haven't even tried out. I only have 1 pair of eyes, even if I do use different things most days!

Perfume and shower gels have always been a weakness. I love changing things according to my mood, but I really have plenty for a while.

I think I have skincare items to last me for years.

So, these are my goals:

Use up some things:

-- I will pick one perfume to try to use at least once a week to try to get through something. (This will let me add something I already own to the perfumes that are out.)

-- At least one day a week use up perfume samples. Put aside things I don't like (my sister probably will) and try to see what I want from the samplers I haven't redeemed yet.

-- The deluxe samples that are in my travel bag need to be finished. I won't be traveling again for a while and those sizes don't last that long.

-- Evaluate things that are started but haven't been used for a while. If I like them, use them more and try to use them up. If I stopped using them for a reason, GET RID OF THEM! They're just taking up space.

-- Go through the suncare samples I still have left over. If they're expired, get rid of them. If they're not, use them before they do expire. If they don't work, pass them along to someone else or GET RID OF THEM.

-- Sort through the sample packets I have. Look at deluxe samples, too. See what I might really want to try and put aside things I know I don't want. (These often include dupes of things I tried and didn't really like, things stuck in my bag at the store, or things that got substituted in the store.) Make an effort to use things that interest me and put the things that don't in the collection to donate to the shelter nearby.

No orders for June and July. Only exceptions:

-- If there is a new Disney collection out, I can get things. They're limited and they go quickly.

-- If there is a great VIB code (like the VIB Clutch from last year), I can get something. Hopefully a replacement for something I've used up. I think last year it was in August so I'm hoping for a couple of good months.

-- If Victoria's Secret has one of their limited summer scents I've been looking for in the summer sale, I can get that, since it won't be available again.

-- I can redeem a scent certificate if I really want to go poke around the store. I still have several, sigh.

-- If I really, really am out of something and don't have a replacement around, I can buy it. I think that is extremely unlikely, though.

This starts today, although I may go to CVS with my $5 extra bucks that will expire in a couple of days. I don't know what type of thing I will get, maybe not makeup, but I figure it's okay to use coupons if I don't spend anything more. Silly for them to go completely unused.

Sorry this is so long, but it's good to see my goals. I like the support that everyone provides here, either for finding or not buying things!

Re: Okay, I'm joining Starletta8 for the summer

Thanks for the suggestion. I've picked out two fragrances to use up (and using up one will use up shower gel and body cream, too; this one will take longer but anything is progress) and I have a sample bag handy to have a 'try something new' day. My samples are in baggies by type in a big Sephora bag. I looked at some this weekend and plan to sort more seriously sometime when I feel like shopping.

Of course I'm becoming more interested in masks and peels. I have only a few things to sample but figure I will try them out and see if there is anything I'm tempted to try when I do shop later. Other things should last me a long, long time. I just need for nothing new and interesting to come out!

Keeping track of what I use up is a good idea. Somehow even though my Hoola bronzer is just the small size, I don't know when that will go and I'll have to try out something else I have around. I think I will go stash shopping sometime soon and see what I want to try when I can.

(Now if I could only remember where I put the two samples I did pull out over the weekend to try. No idea where they went! Hmm, there is a pocket I didn't check....)

Re: Okay, I'm joining Starletta8 for the summer

You are trying to stop buying nail polish and I am about to start buying 'em haha. Yeah I own liked 3 seriously and now going to this beauty talk and looking at some ladies's collection make me want to start mine but just a small one though maybe 10-20 cause I am not so good at painting my own nails

Re: Okay, I'm joining Starletta8 for the summer

Good luck! You can do it! If you start getting sick of the no buy after the summer, you can implement a small reward system for yourself. It's actually what I'm doing right now.

For every 5 items I finish, I can buy one new thing. If I want to buy something, say LE, I make a note that I owe myself 5 finished products. At most I can owe myself 25 finished products. Products can be skincare, makeup, body care, hair care, whatever you wanna count. Obviously you can make your own rules. It's been working out pretty well for me It's my version of project 10 pan because I'm horrible at that.

Re: Okay, I'm joining Starletta8 for the summer

Recently I've been going through my sample bag (yes, I have a dedicated bag) to play with things that I have kind of tossed to the side. I recently found a small vial of pink sugar; I forgot just how much I love the scent. I also found a sample of Gucci Flora, which is divine. This isn't really helping my 'you have enough perfumes for a small country' logic, but they just smell so good!

I figure once I finish up a bottle or two of some of my usual favorite scents I'll replace them with one of these.

CVS is amazing! I take advantage of their extra bucks all the time, but usually for household supplies.

Re: Okay, I'm joining Starletta8 for the summer

Hi, mafan! Good luck! I'll can be moral support if you need it. Re. the CVS coupon, you don't have to buy makeup. Since you're going to a drug store, you can buy toothpaste or toilet paper. Those items are a little more necessary than new eyeshadow (though maybe not as much fun). How about a book of crossword puzzles, so when you start thinking about that moisturizer you just have to have, you can put your mind to something else?

Make sure when you go through your stuff that you recycle any plastics!

Re: Okay, I'm joining Starletta8 for the summer

Thanks for the support. We have great recycling of plastics here and if they aren't labeled, they get dropped at Origins to be handled properly.

I decided that adding Fish Oil to my supplements was a good decision. I'm even well stocked on vitamins at this point. I thought I was a bit crazy with the buy one/get one free but opened two bottles last week and will open a couple more soon. I think all I need now from the drug store will be sunscreen for my husband. And maybe a baseball bat to stun him while I make him apply it! Thank goodness for sprays, because I don't think he would wear it at all sometimes without them.

Re: Okay, I'm joining Starletta8 for the summer

I think its a great idea to cut back on purchases if you have more than enough of everything already.

My husband and I just made a commitment to halt all frivolous spending for the entire month of June. We will be keeping track of all of the money we do not spend (in comparison to our usual habits) this month and then at the end of June we will donate every penny to a local charity. I'm very excited about this!!

One question though- I would like to join you and to follow your progress with this goal but I can't figure out how to join Starletta8. I've searched online and was unable to find information about this cause.

Re: Okay, I'm joining Starletta8 for the summer

Starletta8 is actually a member here and she started a no-buy thread a couple of weeks ago. I so need to do this with her. Here's a link to her thread, I hope. (I'm going to have to try it with edit. The editor on Beauty Talk works very badly on the iPad.)

(Sorry, I just cannot paste a link. I will bump the thread.)

I looked at some of my samples and things today and the situation is very bad. I have picked up great great gifts with purchase and I have so many things I don't know where to start. I took a small makeup bag to hold my "it's open, finish it" things so I can just take new with me when I travel in September, as 3 months is a long time for some samples and I don't know if they have a lot left. Sometime soon I will be critical about what I really want to try. I go to a retreat in October and they always collect travel size soap, shampoo, etc. I'm thinking the shelter must have women there who might benefit from moisturizers, etc. (Why do I have almost half a dozen Sephora moisturizer samples? I'm sure it's nice, but I wonder if my skin looks so dry that they toss it in my bag? I just can't use it all.)

I may be offering some things to people who might like to try them. Primers anyone?

I think I am on no buy for a year. I need to keep my resolve.

I also am resolving to be better about my eating and lose a few pounds that have crept on. Walking at lunch time is a great way to use up sunscreen and shower gel, right? Exercise and stash reduction at the same time.